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SALOME 




OscdT 
WUde> 



'H.M. CxU dwell Co. 
New Yorti-^Boston. 



/Ph XI 190/ 






Copyright, igoj 
By H. M. Caldwell Co. 



Salome 



TO MY FRIEND 

LORD ALFRED BRUCE DOUGLAS 

THE TRANSLATOR OF 

MY PLAY 



THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY 

HEROD ANTIPAS, TETRARCH OF 

JUDJEA 
lOKANAAN, THE PROPHET 
THE YOUNG SYRIAN, CAPTAIN OF THE 

GUARD 
TIGELLINUS, A YOUNG ROMAN 
A CAPPADOCIAN 
A NUBIAN 
FIRST SOLDIER 
SECOND SOLDIER 
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 
JEWS, NAZARENES, ETC. 
A SLAVE 

NAAMAN, THE EXECUTIONER 
HERODIAS, WIFE OF THE TETRARCH 
SALOME, DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS 
THE SLAVES OF SALOME 



Introduction 

QSCAR FINGAL O'FLAHERTIE 
WILLS WILDE was born in 
Dublin, October i6, 1854. His father, Sir 
William Wilde, a noted oculist and otol- 
ogist, was one of the most distinguished 
surgeons that Great Britain has known, 
and is also well remembered as the 
author of several important works on 
Irish History and Archaeology. On the 
other hand, he was a man of strong, un- 
bridled passions, in the gratification of 
which no sense of social or professional 
responsibility could restrain him. His 
mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was well 



^ Introduction 

known both as a pamphleteer and a 
poet, writing to the Nation, Dublin, 
under the names of " Speranza " and 
" John Fenshaw ElHs " at the time of 
the political upheaval in 1848. Oscar 
was their second child and son, and 
because a boy his advent was a disap- 
pointment to his mother, who had de- 
sired a girl, and for a long time he was 
treated, talked to, and dressed like one. 
He received his education at Ennis- 
killen and at Trinity College, Dublin, 
where in 1874 he won the Berkeley 
Gold Medal. In October of that year 
he entered Magdalen College, Oxford, 
in his first term coming under the in- 
fluence of Ruskin, who lectured on the 
" Esthetic and Mathematical Schools 
of Art in Florence." In 1877 an event 

vi 



Introduction ^ 

took place which had a deep influence 
on his life, — his journey to Greece 
with the party that accompanied John 
Pentland MahafFy, whereby, without 
doubt, his true enthusiasm for Beauty 
and the Hellenic spirit was aroused. 
In 1878 he gained First Class in the 
Honour Finals at Oxford, and in the 
same year won the Newdigate Prize for 
English Verse with his poem " Ra- 
venna." For a period of practically 
five years from the time of his gradua- 
tion from Oxford in 1878, Oscar Wilde 
with his mumming made an extrava- 
ganza of the Pre-Raphaelite movement 
and a burlesque of the theories of the 
Esthetes. His eccentric dress of knee 
breeches, silk stockings, and velvet 

coats, and his affectation of sunflowers 
vii 



^ Introduction 

and lilies brought him a certain no- 
toriety. He was caricatured in Punch, 
good-humouredly rallied in all of the 
public prints, and satirized in Gilbert 
and Sullivan's comic opera " Patience." 
In 1 88 1 he found a publisher for his 
poems, consisting mainly of reprints 
contributed to various periodicals in 
England and Ireland. In the latter 
part of December, 1881, he sailed for 
New York, where early in January, 
1882, he delivered the first of a series of 
lectures, which afterwards he repeated in 
the principal cities of the United States 
and Canada. Although the tour did 
not prove a great financial success, 
especially towards its close, the year's 
travelling in America was productive of 

great good in the development of his 
viii 



Introduction ^ 

character. Brought into close contact 
with the most energetic of men, his 
latent energy aroused itself, and the 
unworthy posings were abandoned, and 
by the time of his return to England his 
masquerade of speech, manner, and 
dress had disappeared. Shortly after 
his arrival in England he went to Paris, 
taking with him several copies of his 
poems, which he sent to many well- 
known people. His advances were fa- 
vourably received and many doors were 
opened to him, but he was really never 
understood. He was labelled " Poseur " 
and was not taken at all seriously. 
Through the lack of money he was 
obhged to return to England in the 
summer of 1883, and entered on a lec- 
ture tour, visiting various provincial 
ix 



"^ Introduction 

towns, but he met with little success. 
On May 29, 1884, he married Constance 
Lloyd, and her dower enabled them to 
take the lease of a good house in Tite 
Street, Chelsea. Oscar Wilde then 
turned to journalism, writing much 
anonymously, though at the same 
period he wrote the exquisite fairy-tales 
published in 1888 under the title of 
" The Happy Prince and Other Tales." 
From October, 1887, to September, 
1889, he was editor of the Woman s 
World, where his personal contributions 
were mainly published under the title 
of " Some Literary Notes." During 
the eight years from 1884 to 1 891 the 
total of his published work was small, 
consisting principally of " The Soul of 
Man under Socialism," " The Picture 



Introduction ^ 

of Dorian Gray " and " Intentions," 
a volume of essays which had already 
appeared in monthly magazines. On 
the 20th of February, 1892, his play, 
" Lady Windermere's Fan," was pro- 
duced and proved an immediate success. 
From then on there were three years of 
prosperity and triumph for Oscar Wilde. 
He was counted one of the first play- 
wrights of the English stage and his 
income sprang from nothing to several 
thousand pounds a year. In April, 
1893, " A Woman of No Importance " 
was performed; on the 3d of January, 
1895, came " An Ideal Husband," and 
on the 14th of February " The Import- 
ance of Being Earnest," all meeting 
with extraordinary success. The strong 

point in each of these comedies lay in 
xi 



^ Introduction 

the dialogue, which sparkled and scin- 
tillated with wit; it was simply Oscar 
Wilde himself talking. At this time 
he frequently visited Paris, and the 
following description of him by Henri 
Regnier dates from about the period 
of the writing of " Salome/* " This 
foreigner was tall and of great cor- 
pulence. A high complexion seemed 
to give still greater width to his clean- 
shaven and proconsular face. It was 
the unbearded face that one sees on 
coins. The eyes smiled. The hands 
seemed to be beautiful: they were 
rather fleshy and plump, and one of 
them was ornamented with a ring in 
which a beetle of green stone was set. 
The man's tall figure allowed of his 

wearing ample and masterly frock- 
xii 



Introduction ^ 

coats, which opened out on somewhat 
* loud ' waistcoats of smooth velvet or 
flowered satins. Oriental cigarettes 
with gold tips were ever consuming 
themselves into smoke in his mouth. 
A rare blossom in his buttonhole gave 
a finishing touch to his rich attire in 
which every detail seemed to have been 
carefully studied^ From cab to cab, 
from cafe to cafe, from salon to salon, 
he moved with the lazy gait of a stout 
man who is rather weary. He carried 
on his correspondence by means of tel- 
egrams, and his conversation by means 
of apologues.*' In April, 1895, came 
his downfall, it having since been 
proved that he was really the scape- 
goat of a circle of his friends, and 
on May 25th he was sentenced to 



^ Introduction 

two years at hard labour. On his 
release from gaol he went to France, 
where he dragged out the rest of his 
existence, with the exception of a short 
time spent in Italy, dying in Paris in 
comparative poverty on the 30th of 
November, 1900. 

" Salome " was written in Paris about 

the first of the year 1892 and but a short 

time before the production of " Lady 

Windermere's Fan " in London. It 

was composed in French and with the 

exception of slight revision by Marcel 

Schwob was entirely Oscar Wilde's 

work, and the best French critics are 

unanimous in expressing their wonder 

that any foreigner could have acquired 

such a mastery of the French language, 
adv 



Introduction ^ 

The play was not written for Sarah 
Bernhardt, as so often stated, but she 
asked the author to read it to her in 
London around June, 1892, and was so 
impressed with its possibiHties that she 
at once expressed a desire to play the 
title role. Rehearsals were imme- 
diately begun, costumes, scenery, and 
everything had been prepared, but 
toward the last of June license to pro- 
duce the play in London was refused 
by the Lord Chamberlain on the ground 
that it was unadvisable to produce 
religious episodes. Madame Bern- 
hardt, however, decided to produce it 
in Paris at her own theatre of the Port 
St. Martin as soon as an opportunity 
offered. At the time of his arrest in 
1895, Oscar Wilde's plays in England 

XV 



^ Introduction 

were withdrawn from the boards as soon 

as possible and his income stopped. 

His only hope for any money was from 

" Salome," which he had expected Sarah 

Bernhardt would produce that year, 

and while awaiting trial he wrote to a 

friend in Paris to ask her if she would 

not purchase the play outright. This 

she refused to do, and although she 

shed tears for his pitiful position and 

sent him messages of sympathy, she 

refused to assist him financially in any 

way, although she had led Wilde's 

friend to believe she would. The play 

was first produced by Luigne Poe in 

Paris in 1896; and from the time of its 

first production in Berlin in September, 

1903, has created a furor in Germany. 

It has also been produced in Italy, but 
xvi 



Introduction ^ 

in English there seem to have been but 
two productions of the play up to the 
present time. The first was of a semi- 
private nature at the Bijou Theatre in 
London, May loth and 13th, 1905, and 
the second was a series of public per- 
formances at the Berkeley Lyceum, 
New York, from November 13th to 
i6th, 1905. " Salome " in the original 
French was pubhshed in 1893, and in 
the following year appeared in English, 
translated by Lord Alfred Douglas. 
Since then there have been three Ger- 
man versions and two Russian, as well 
as translations in Polish, Swedish, and 
Spanish, showing the truth of the Ger- 
man statement that to-day Oscar Wilde 
is a " World's Poet " and " Salome " a 

** World's Play." " It is among some 
xvii 



^ Introduction 

of his friends an abiding regret that 
he was not spared a few years longer 
so that in the depth of his despair 
he might have seen the wonderful 
triumph that Germany has prepared 
for him, might have watched the 
crowds flocking to the theatre to see 

* Salome ' played, might have listened to 
the frantic enthusiasm which this play 
never fails to invoke, might a little later 
on have realized that it had been given 
to him by this play to stimulate to the 
highest expression of his wonderful art 
the composer Richard Strauss, whom 
the cognoscenti hail as the greatest 
maestro who ever lived." ' 

* Life of Oscar Wilde, by R. H. Sherard, 1906, 



xviu 



Salome 

Scene — A great terrace in the Palace 
of Herody set above the banqueting- hall. 
Some soldiers are leaning over the bal- 
cony. To the right there is a gigantic 
staircase, to the left, at the back, an old 
cistern surrounded by a wall of green 
bronze. The moon is shining very 
brightly. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

How beautiful is the Princess Salome 
to-night ! 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

Look at the moon. How strange the 
moon seems ! She is like a woman ris- 



^ Salome 

ing from a tomb. She is like a dead 
woman. One might fancy she was look- 
ing for dead things. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

She has a strange look. She is like a 
little princess who wears a yellow veil, 
and whose feet are of silver. She is 
like a princess who has little white doves 
for feet. One might fancy she was 
dancing. 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

She is like a woman who is dead. 
She moves very slowly. 

[Noise in the banqueting-halL] 

FIRST SOLDIER 

What an uproar ! Who are those wild 
beasts howling? 



Salome ^ 

SECOND SOLDIER 

The Jews. They are always like 
that. They are disputing about their 
religion. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Why do they dispute about their re- 
ligion ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

I cannot tell. They are always doing 
it. The Pharisees, for instance, say that 
there are angels, and the Sadducees 
declare that angels do not exist. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

I think it is ridiculous to dispute 
about such things. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

How beautiful is the Princess Salome 
to-night I 



•^ Salome 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

You are always looking at her. You 
look at her too much. It is dangerous 
to look at people in such fashion. Some- 
thing terrible may happen. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

She is very beautiful to-night. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

The Tetrarch has a sombre aspect. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

Yes; he has a sombre aspect. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

He is looking at something. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

He is looking at some one. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

At whom is he looking ? 



Salome ^ 

SECOND SOLDIER 

I cannot tell. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

How pale the Princess is! Never 
have I seen her so pale. She is Hke the 
shadow of a white rose in a mirror of 
silver. 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

You must not look at her. You look 
too much at her. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Herodias has filled the cup of the 
Tetrarch. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

Is that the Queen Herodias, she who 
wears a black mitre sewed with pearls, 
and whose hair is powdered with blue 
dust ? 

5 



•^ Salome 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Yes; that is Herodias, the Tetrarch's 
wife. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

The Tetrarch is very fond of wine. 
He has wine of three sorts. One which 
is brought from the Island of Samo- 
thrace, and is purple Hke the cloak 
of Caesar. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

I have never seen Cassar. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

Another that comes from a town 
called Cyprus, and is as yellow as 
gold. 



THE CAPPADOCIAN 

I love gold. 



6 



Salome ^ 

SECOND SOLDIER 

And the third is a wine of Sicily. 
That wine is as red as blood. 

THE NUBIAN 

The gods of my country are very fond 
of blood. Twice in the year we sacrifice 
to them young men and maidens : fifty 
young men and a hundred maidens. 
But I am afraid that we never give them 
quite enough, for they are very harsh 
to us. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

In my country there are no gods left. 

The Romans have driven them out. 

There are some who say that they have 

hidden themselves in the mountains, 

but I do not believe it. Three nights I 

have been on the mountains seeking 
7 



•^ Salome 

them everywhere. I did not find them, 
and at last I called them by their names, 
and they did not come. I think they 
are dead. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

The Jews worship a God that one 
cannot see. 



THE CAPPADOCIAN 

I cannot understand that. 



FIRST SOLDIER 

In fact, they only believe in things 
that one cannot see. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

That seems to me altogether ridicu- 
lous. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

After all shall come another mightier 
8 



Salome ^ 

FIRST SOLDIER 

We can never tell. Sometimes he says 
things that affright one, but it is impos- 
sible to understand what he says. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

May one see him ? 

FIRST SOLDIER 

No. ThexTetrarch has forbidden it. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

The Princess has hidden her face 
behind her fan ! Her little white hands 
are fluttering like doves that fly to their 
dove-cots. They are like white butter- 
flies. They are just like white but- 
terflies. 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

What is that to you ? Why do you 

look at her? You must not look at 
II 



^ Salome 

her. . . . Something terrible may hap- 
pen. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

[Pointing to the cistern.^ What a 
strange prison! 

SECOND SOLDIER 

It is an old cistern. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

An old cistern ! That must be a poi- 
sonous place in which to dwell ! 

SECOND SOLDIER 

Oh, no ! For instance, the Tetrarch's 
brother, his elder brother, the first 
husband of Herodias the Queen, was 
imprisoned there for twelve years. It 
did not kill him. At the end of twelve 
years he had to be strangled. 

12 



Salome ^ 



THE CAPPADOCIAN 

Strangled ? Who dared to do that ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

[Pointing to the Executioner, a huge 
negro.] That man yonder, Naaman. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

He was not afraid ? 

SECOND sol:6ier 

Oh, no ! The Tetrarch sent him the 
ring. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

What ring ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

The death ring. So he was not afraid. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

Yet it is a terrible thing to strangle 

a king. 

13 



^ Salome 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Why? Kings have but one neck, 
Hke other folk. 

THE CAPPADOCIAN 

I think it terrible. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

The Princess is getting up! She is 
leaving the table! She looks very 
troubled. Ah, she is coming this way. 
Yes, she is coming towards us. How 
pale she is! Never have I seen her so 
pale. 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

Do not look at her. I pray you not to 
look at her. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

She is like a dove that has strayed. 

. . . She is like a narcissus trembling 
14 



Salome ^ 

in the wind. . . . She is like a silver 
flower. 

[Enter Salome.] 

SALOME 

I will not stay. I cannot stay. Why 
does the Tetrarch look at me all the 
while with his mole's eyes under his 
shaking eyelids ? It is strange that the 
husband of my mother looks at me like 
that. I know not what it means. Of a 
truth I know it too well. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

You have left the feast, Princess ? 

SALOME 

How sweet is the air here! I can 

breathe here! Within there are Jews 

from Jerusalem who are tearing each 

other in pieces over their foolish cere- 

15 



•^ Salome 

monies, and barbarians who drink and 
drink and spill their wine on the pave- 
ment, and Greeks from Smyrna with 
painted eyes and painted cheeks, and 
frizzed hair curled in columns, and 
Egyptians silent and subtle, with long 
nails of jade and russet cloaks, and 
Romans brutal and coarse, with their 
uncouth jargon. Ah ! how I loathe the 
Romans ! They are rough and com- 
mon, and they give themselves the airs 
of noble lords. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Will you be seated. Princess ? 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

Why do you speak to her? Oh! 

something terrible will happen. Why 

do you look at her ? 
i6 



Salome ^ 



SALOME 

How good to see the moon! She is 
like a Httle piece of money, a little 
silver flower. She is cold and chaste. 
I am sure she is a virgin. She has the 
beauty of a virgin. Yes, she is a virgin. 
She has never defiled herself. She has 
never abandoned herself to men, Hke 
the other goddesses. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Behold! the Lord hath come. The 
Son of Man is at hand. The centaurs 
have hidden themselves in the rivers, 
and the nymphs have left the rivers, 
and are lying beneath the leaves in the 
forests. 

SALOME 

Who was that who cried out ? 
17 



^ Salome 



SECOND SOLDIER 

The prophet, Princess. 

SALOME 

Ah, the prophet ! He of whom the 
Tetrarch is afraid ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

We know nothing of that. Princess. 
It was the prophet lokanaan who cried 
out. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Is it your pleasure that I bid them 
bring your litter, Princess ? The night 
is fair in the garden. 

SALOME 

He says terrible things about my 

mother, does he not ? 
i8 



Salome ^ 

SECOND SOLDIER 

We never understand what he says, 
Princess. 

SALOME 

Yes ; he says terrible things about her. 
[Enter a Slave.] 

THE SLAVE 

Princess, the Tetrarch prays you to 
return to the feast. 

SALOME 

I will not return. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Pardon me. Princess, but if you re- 
turn not some misfortune may hap- 
pen. 

SALOME 

Is he an old man, this prophet ? 
19 



^ Salome 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess, it were better to return. 
Suffer me to lead you in. 

SALOME 

This prophet . .. is he an old man ? 

FIRST SOLDIER 

No, Princess, he is quite young. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

One cannot be sure. There are those 
who say that he is Elias. . 

SALOME 

Who is Elias ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

A prophet of this country in bygone 
days, Princess. 

THE SLAVE 

What answer may I give the Tetrarch 

from the Princess ? 
20 



Salome ^ 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Rejoice not, O land of Palestine, be- 
cause the rod of him who smote thee is 
broken. For from the seed of the ser- 
pent shall come a basilisk, and that 
which is born of it shall devour the birds. 

SALOME 

What a strange voice ! I would speak 
with him. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

I fear it may not be, Princess. The 
Tetrarch does not suffer any one to 
speak with him. He has even forbidden 
the high priest to speak with him. 

SALOME 

I desire to speak with him. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

It is impossible. Princess. 

21 



•^ Salome 

SALOME 

I will speak with him. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Would it not be better to return to 
the banquet ? 

SALOME 

Bring forth this prophet. 

[Exit the Slave,] 

FIRST SOLDIER 

We dare not, Princess. 

SALOME 

\A pproaching the cistern and looking 
down into ?V.] How black it is, down 
there! It must be terrible to be in so 
black a hole! It is like a tomb. . . . 
\To the soldiers.^ Did you not hear me ? 
Bring out the prophet. I would look on 
him. 

22 



Salome ^ 

SECOND SOLDIER 

Princess, I beg you, do not require 
this of us. 

SALOME 

You are making me wait upon your 
pleasure. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Princess, our lives belong to you, but 
we cannot do what you have asked of 
us. And indeed, it is not of us that you 
should ask this thing. 

SALOME 

[Looking at the young Syrian.] Ah ! 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

Oh ! what is going to happen ? I 
am sure that something terrible will 
happen. 

23 



■S&jjj 



Salome 



SALOME 

[Going up to the young Syr tan J\ 
Thou wilt do this thinp- for me, wilt 
thou not, Narraboth ? Thou wilt do 
this thing for me. I have ever been 
kind towards thee. Thou wilt do it for 
me. I would but look at him, this 
strange prophet. Men have talked so 
much of him. Often I have heard the 
Tetrarch talk of him. I think he is 
afraid of him, the Tetrarch. Art thou, 
even thou, also afraid of him, Narra- 
both ? 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

I fear him not, Princess; there is no 

man I fear. But the Tetrarch has 

formally forbidden that any man should 

raise the cover of this well. 
24 



Salome ^ 

SALOME 

Thou wilt do this thing for me, Nar- 
raboth, and to-morrow when I pass in 
my litter beneath the gateway of the 
idol-sellers I will let fall for thee a little 
flower, a little green flower. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess, I cannot, 1 cannot. 

SALOME 

[Smiling.] Thou wilt do this thing 
for me, Narraboth. Thou knowest 
that thou wilt do this thing for me. 
And on the morrow when I shall pass 
in my litter by the bridge of the idol- 
buyers, I will look at thee through the 
muslin veils, I will look at thee, Narra- 
both, it may be I will smile at thee. 

Look at me, Narraboth, look at me. 
25 



-^ Salome 

Ah! thou knowest that thou wilt do 
what I ask of thee. Thou knowest 
it ... I know that thou wilt do this 
thing. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

[Signing to the third Soldier,^ Let 
the prophet come forth. . . . The 
Princess Salome desires to see him. 

SALOME 

Ah! 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

Oh I How strange the moon looks ! 
Like the hand of a dead woman who is 
seeking to cover herself with a shroud. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

She has a strange aspect ! She is like 

a little princess, whose eyes are eyes of 

amber. Through the clouds of muslin 
26 



Salome ^ 

she is smiling like a little princess. 
[The prophet comes out of the cistern. 
Salome looks at him and steps slowly 
back.] 

lOKANAAN 

Where is he whose cup of abomina- 
tions is now full ? Where is he, who in 
a robe of silver shall one day die in the 
face of all the people ? Bid him come 
forth, that he may hear the voice of him 
who hath cried in the waste places and 
in the houses of kings. 

SALOME 

Of whom is he speaking ? 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

No one can tell, Princess. 

lOKANAAN 

Where is she who saw the images of 
27 



^ Salome 

men painted on the walls, even the 
images of the Chaldaeans painted with 
colours, and gave herself up unto the 
lust of her eyes, and sent ambassadors 
into the land of Chaldaea ? 

SALOME 

It is of my mother that he is speaking. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Oh no, Princess. 

SALOME 

Yes : it is of my mother that he is 
speaking. 

lOKANAAN 

Where is she who gave herself unto 

the Captains of Assyria, who have 

baldricks on their loins, and crowns of 

many colours on their heads ? Where 

is she who hath given herself to the 
28 



Salome ^ 

young men of the Egyptians, who are 
clothed in fine linen and hyacinth, 
whose shields are of gold, whose helmets 
are of silver, whose bodies are mighty ? 
Go, bid her rise up from the bed of her 
abominations, from the bed of her in- 
cestuousness, that she may hear the 
words of him who prepareth the way of 
the Lord, that she may repent her of 
her iniquities. Though she will not 
repent, but will stick fast in her abom- 
inations, go bid her come, for the fan 
of the Lord is in His hand. 

SALOME 

Ah, but he is terrible, he is terrible ! 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Do not stay here, Princess, I beseech 

you. 

29 



^ Salome 

SALOME 

It is his eyes above all that are ter- 
rible. They are like black holes burned 
by torches in a tapestry of Tyre. They 
are like the black caverns where the 
dragons live, the black caverns of 
Egypt in which the dragons make their 
lairs. They are like black lakes 
troubled by fantastic moons. . . . Do 
you think he will speak again ? 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Do not stay here, Princess. I pray 
you do not stay here. 

SALOME 

How wasted he is ! He is like a thin 

ivory statue. He is like an image of 

silver. I am sure he is chaste, as the 

moon is. He is like a moonbeam, like 

30 



Salome ^ 

a shaft of silver. His flesh must be very 
cold, cold as ivory. ... I w^ould look 
closer at him. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

No, no. Princess. 

SALOME 

I must look closer at him. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess ! Princess ! 

lOKANAAN 

Who is this woman who is looking at 
me ? I will not have her look at me. 
Wherefore doth she look at me, with her 
golden eyes, under her gilded eyelids ? 
I know not who she is. I do not desire 
to know who she is. Bid her begone. 
It is not to her that I would speak. 
3^ 



-^ Salome 

SALOME 

I am Salome, daughter of Herodias, 
Pnncess of Judaea. 

lOKANAAN 

Back 1 daughter of Babylon ! Come 
not near the chosen of the Lord. Thy 
mother hath filled the earth with the 
wine of her iniquities, and the cry of her 
sinning hath come up even to the ears 
of God. 

SALOME 

Speak again, lokanaan. Thy voice 
is as music to mine ear. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess ! Princess ! Princess ! 

SALOME 

Speak again! Speak again, loka- 
naan, and tell me what I must do. 
32 



Salome ^ 

lOKANAAN 

Daughter of Sodom, come not near 
me ! But cover thy face with a veil, and 
scatter ashes upon thine head, and get 
thee to the desert, and seek out the Son 
of Man. 

SALOME 

Who is he, the Son of Man ? Is he 
as beautiful as thou art, lokanaan ? 

lOKANAAN 

Get thee behind me! I hear in the 
palace the beating of the wings of the 
angel of death. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess, I beseech thee to go within. 

lOKANAAN 

Angel of the Lord God, what dost 
thou here with thy sword ? Whom 
33 



•^ Salome 

seekest thou in this palace ? The day of 
him who shall die in a robe of silver 
has not yet come. 

SALOME 

lokanaan ! 

lOKANAAN 

Who speaketh ? 

SALOME 

I am amorous of thy body, lokanaan ! 

Thy body is white, like the lilies of a 

field that the mower hath never mowed. 

Thy body is white like the snows that 

lie on the mountains of Judaea, and 

come down into, the valleys. The roses 

in the garden of the Queen of Arabia 

are not so white as thy body. Neither 

the roses of the garden of the Queen 
34 



Salome ^ 

of Arabia, the garden of spices of the 
Queen of Arabia, nor the feet of the 
dawn when they Hght on the leaves, nor 
the breast of the moon when she lies on 
the breast of the sea. . . . There is 
nothing in the world so white as thy 
body. Suffer me to touch thy body. 

lOKANAAN 

Back ! daughter of Babylon ! By 
woman came evil into the world. Speak 
not to me. I will not listen to thee. 
I listen but to the voice of the Lord 
God. 

SALOME 

Thy body is hideous. It is like the 

body of a leper. It is like a plastered 

wall where vipers have crawled; like a 

plastered wall where the scorpions have 

35 



^ Salome 

made their nest. It is like a whited 

sepulchre, full of loathsome things. 

It is horrible, thy body is horrible. It 

is of thy hair that I am enamoured, 

lokanaan. Thy hair is like clusters of 

grapes, like the clusters of black grapes 

that hang from the vine-trees of Edom 

in the land of the Edomites. Thy hair 

is like the cedars of Lebanon-, like the 

great cedars of Lebanon that give their 

shade to the lions and to the robbers 

who would hide them by day. The 

long black nights, when the moon hides 

her face, when the stars are afraid, are 

not so black as thy hair. The silence 

that dwells in the forest is not so black. 

There is nothing in the world that is so 

black as thy hair. . . . Suffer me to 

touch thy hair. 

36 



Salome ^ 



lOKANAAN 

Back, daughter of Sodom ! Touch 
me not. Profane not the temple of the 
Lord God. 

SALOME 

Thy hair is horrible. It is covered 
with mire and dust. It is like a crown of 
thorns placed on thy head. It is like a 
knot of serpents coiled round thy neck. 
I love not thy hair. ... It is thy 
mouth that I desire, lokanaan. Thy 
mouth is like a band of scarlet on a 
tower of ivory. It is like a pomegranate 
cut in twain with a knife of ivory. The 
pomegranate flowers that blossom in 
the gardens of Tyre, and are redder 
than roses, are not so red. The red 
blasts of trumpets that herald the ap- 



^ Salome 

proach of kings, and make afraid the 

enemy, are not so red. Thy mouth is 

redder than the feet of those who tread 

the wine in the wine-press. It is redder 

than the feet of the doves who inhabit 

the temples and are fed by the priests. 

It is redder than the feet of him who 

Cometh from a forest where he .hath 

slain a lion, and seen gilded tigers. 

Thy mouth is like a branch of coral 

that fishers have found in the twilight of 

the sea, the coral that they keep for the 

kings I ... It is like the vermilion 

that the Moabites find in the mines of 

Moab, the vermilion that the kings take 

from them. It is like the bow of the 

King of the Persians, that is painted 

with vermilion and is tipped with coral. 

There is nothing in the world so red 
38 



Salome 



^ 



as thy mouth. . . . Suffer me to kiss 
thy mouth. 

lOKANAAN 

Never 1 daughter of Babylon ! Daugh- 
ter of Sodom ! never ! 

SALOME 

I will kiss thy mouth, lokanaan. I 
will kiss thy mouth. 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Princess, Princess, thou who art like 
a garden of myrrh, thou who art the 
dove of all doves, look not at this man, 
look not at him ! Do not speak such 
words to him. I cannot endure it. . . . 
Princess, do not speak these things. 

SALOME 

I will kiss thy mouth, lokanaan. 
39 



\ 



^ Salome 

THE YOUNG SYRIAN 

Ah! [He kills himself and falls be- 
tween Salome and lokanaan.] 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

The young Syrian has slain himself! 

The young captain has slain himself! 

He has slain himself who was my friend ! 

I gave him a little box of perfumes and 

ear-rings wrought in silver, and now he 

has killed himself. Ah, did he not say 

that some misfortune would happen ? 

I, too, said it, and it has come to pass. 

Well I knew that the moon was seeking 

a dead thing, but I knew not that it was 

he whom she sought. Ah ! why did I 

not hide him from the moon ? If I had 

hidden him in a cavern she would not 

have seen him. 

40 



Salome ^ 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Princess, the young captain has just 
slain himself. 

SALOME 

Suffer me to kiss thy mouth, lokanaan. 

lOKANAAN 

Art thou not afraid, daughter of 
Herodias ? Did I not tell thee that I had 
heard in the palace the beatings of the 
wings of the angel of death, and hath he 
not come, the angel of death ? 

SALOME 

Suffer me to kiss thy mouth. 

lOKANAAN 

Daughter of adultery, there is but one 

who can save thee. It is He of whom 

I spake. Go seek Him. He is in a boat 
41 



^ Salome 

on the sea of Galilee, and He talketh 
with His disciples. Kneel down on the 
shore of the sea, and call unto Him by 
His name. When He cometh to thee, 
and to all who call unto Him He cometh, 
bow thyself at His feet and ask of 
Him the remission of thy sins. 

SALOME 

Suffer me to kiss thy mouth. 

lOKANAAN 

Cursed be thou ! daughter of an in- 
cestuous mother, be thou accursed! 

SALOME 

I will kiss thy mouth, lokanaan. 

lOKANAAN 

I will not look at thee. Thou art 

accursed, Salome, thou art accursed. 

[He goes Jozun into the cistern.^ 
42 



Salome ^ 

SALOME 

I will kiss thy mouth, lokanaan; I 
will kiss thy mouth. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

We must bear away the body to an- 
other place. The Tetrarch does not 
care to see dead bodies, save the bodies 
of those whom he himself has slain. 

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS 

He was my brother, and nearer to me 
than a brother. I gave him a little box 
full of perfumes, and a ring of agate that 
he always wore on his hand. In the 
evening we were wont to walk by the 
river, and among the almond-trees, and 
he used to tell me the things of his coun- 
try. He spake ever very low. The 

sound of his voice was like the sound of 
43 



•^ Salome 

the flute, of one who playeth upon the 
flute. Also he had much joy to gaze at 
himself in the river. I used to reproach 
him for that. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

You are right; we must hide the 
body. The Tetrarch must not see it. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

The Tetrarch will not come to this 
place. He never comes on the terrace. 
He is too much afraid of the prophet. 

[Enter Herody HerodiaSy and all the 
Court.] 

HEROD 

Where is Salome ? Where is the 

Princess ? Why did she not return to 

the banquet as I commanded her? 

Ah ! there she is ! 

44 



Salome ^ 

HERODIAS 

You must not look at her! You are 
always looking at her ! 

HEROD 

The moon has a strange look to- 
night. Has she not a strange look ? 
She is like a mad woman, a mad 
woman who is seeking everywhere for 
lovers. She is naked too. She is 
quite naked. The clouds are seeking 
to clothe her nakedness, but she will 
not let them. She shows herself 
naked in the sky. She reels through 
the clouds like a drunken woman. . . . 
I am sure she is looking for lovers. 
Does she not reel like a drunken 
woman ? She is hke a mad woman, 
is she not? 

45 



-^ Salome 

HERODIAS 

No; the moon is like the moon, that 
is all. Let us go within. . . . We 
have nothing to do here. 

HEROD 

I will stay here ! Manasseh, lay car- 
pets there. Light torches. Bring forth 
the ivory tables, and the tables of jasper. 
The air here is sweet. I will drink more 
wine with my guests. We must show 
all honours to the ambassadors of 
Caesar. 

HERODIAS 

It is not because of them that you 
remain. 

HEROD 

Yes; the air is very sweet. Come, 

Herodias, our guests await us. Ah ! I 
46 



Salome ^ 



e^vv 



have slipped ! I have slipped in blood ! 
It is an ill omen. It is a very ill omen. 
Wherefore is there blood here ? . . . and 
this body, what does this body here .? 
Think you I am Hke the King of Egypt, 
who gives no feast to his guests but that 
he shows them a corpse ? Whose is it ? 
I will not look on it. 

FIRST SOLDIER 

It is our captain, sire. It is the young 
Syrian whom you made captain of the 
guard but three days gone. 

HEROD 

I issued no order that he should be 
slain. 

SECOND SOLDIER 

He slew himself, sire. 
47 



-^ Salome 

HEROD 

For what reason ? I had made him 
captain of my guard ! 

SECOND SOLDIER 

We do not know, sire. But with his 
own hand he slew himself. 

HEROD 

That seems strange to me. I had 
thought it was but the Roman philoso- 
phers who slew themselves. Is it not 
true, Tigellinus, that the philosophers 
at Rome slay themselves ? 

tigeLlinus 

There be some who slay themselves, 
sire. They are the Stoics. The Stoics 
are people of no cultivation. They 
are ridiculous people. I myself regard 

them as being perfectly ridiculous. 

48 



Salome ^ 

HEROD 

I also. It is ridiculous to kill one*s- 
self. 

TIGELLINUS 

Everybody at Rome laughs at them. 
The Emperor has written a satire 
against them. It is recited every- 
where. 

HEROD 

Ah ! he has written a satire against 
them ? Csesar is wonderful. He can do 
everything. ... It is strange that the 
young Syrian has slain himself. I am 
sorry he has slain himself. I am very 
sorry. For he was fair to look upon. 
He was even very fair. He had very 
languorous eyes. I remember that I 

saw that he looked languorously at 

49 



•^ Salome 

Salome. Truly, I thought he looked 
too much at her. 

HERODIAS 

There are others who look too much 
at her. 

HEROD 

His father was a king. I drave him 
from his kingdom. And of his mother, 
who was a queen, you made a slave, 
Herodias. So he was here as my guest, 
as it were, and for that reason I made 
him my captain. I am sorry he is dead. 
Ho ! why have you left the body here ? 
It must be taken to some other place. 
I will not look at it, — away with it ! 
[They take away the body.] It is cold 
here. There is a wind blowing. Is 
there not a wind blowing? 
50 



Salome ^ 

HERODIAS 

No; there is no wind. 

HEROD 

I tell you there is a wind that blows. 
. . . And I hear in the air something 
that is like the beating of wings, like 
the beating of vast wings. Do you not 
hear it ? 

HERODIAS 

I hear nothing. 

HEROD 

I hear it no longer. But I heard it. 

It was the blowing of the wind. It has 

passed away. But, no, I hear it again. 

Do you not hear it ? It is just like a 

beating of wings. 

SI 



-^ Salome 



HERODIAS 

I tell you there is nothing. You are 
ill. Let us eo within. 



ill. Let us go within 



HEROD 

I am not ill. It is your daughter who 
is sick to death. Never have I seen her 
so pale. 

HERODIAS 

I have told you not to look at her. 

HEROD 

Pour me forth wine. [fFine is 

brought.] Salome, come drink a little 

wine with me. I have here a wine that 

is exquisite. Caesar himself sent it me. 

Dip into it thy Uttle red lips, that I may 

drain the cup. 

52 



Salome ^ 

SALOME 

I am not thirsty, Tetrarch. 

HEROD 

You hear how she answers me, this 
daughter of yours ? 

HERODIAS 

She does right. Why are you always 
gazing at her ? 

HEROD 

Bring me ripe fruits. [Fruits are 
brought.] Salome, come and eat fruits 
with me. I love to see in a fruit the 
mark of thy Httle teeth. Bite but a little 
of this fruit, that I may eat what is 
left. 

SALOME 

I am not hungry, Tetrarch. 

53 



^ Salome 

HEROD 

[To Herod ias.] You see how you 
have brought up this daughter of 
yours. 

HERODIAS 

My daughter and I come of a royal 
race. As for thee, thy father was a 
camel-driver! He was a thief and a 
robber to boot! 

HEROD 

Thou liest! 

HERODIAS 

Thou knowest well that it is true. 

HEROD 

Salome, come and sit next to me. I 

will give thee the throne of thy mother. 

54 



Salome ^ 

SALOME 

I am not tired, Tetrarch. 

HERODIAS 

You see in what regard she holds you. 

HEROD 

Bring me — What is it that I desire ? 
I forget. Ah ! ah ! I remember. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Behold the time is come! That 
which I foretold has come to pass. The 
day that I spake of is at hand. 

HERODIAS 

Bid him be silent. I will not listen to 
his voice. This man is for ever hurling 
insults against me. 

HEROD 

He has said nothing against you. 
Besides, he is a very great prophet. 

55 



^ Salome 

HERODIAS 

I do not believe in prophets. Can a 
man tell what will come to pass ? No 
man knows it. Also he is for ever in- 
sulting me. But I think you are afraid 
of him. ... I know well that you are 
. afraid of him. 



HEROD 

I am not afraid of him. I am afraid 
of no man. 



HERODIAS 

I tell you you are afraid of him. If 
you are not afraid of him why do you 
not deliver him to the Jews who for 
these six months past have been clam- 
ouring for him .? 

56 



Salome ^ 



A JEW 

Truly, my lord, it were better to 
deliver him into our hands. 

HEROD 

Enough on this subject. I have al- 
ready given you my answer. I will not 
deliver him into your hands. He is a 
holy man. He is a man who has seen 
God. 

A JEW 

That cannot be. There is no man 
who hath seen God since the prophet 
Elias. He is the last man who saw God 
face to face. In these days God doth 
not show Himself. God hideth Himself. 
Therefore great evils have come upon 
the land. 

57 / 



-^ Salome 

ANOTHER JEW 

Verily, no man knoweth if Elias the 
prophet did indeed see God. Perad- 
venture it was but the shadow of God 
that he saw. 

A THIRD JEW 

God is at no time hidden. He show- 
eth Himself at all times and in all places. 
God is in what is evil even as He is in 
what is good. 

A FOURTH JEW 

Thou shouldst not say that. It is a 
very dangerous doctrine. It is a doctrine 
that Cometh from Alexandria, where 
men teach the philosophy of the Greeks. 
And the Greeks are Gentiles. They 
are not even circumcised. 
58 



Salome ^ 

A FIFTH JEW 

No man can tell how God worketh. 
His ways are very dark. It may be that 
the things which we call evil are good, 
and that the things which we call good 
are evil. There is no knowledge of 
anything. We can but bow our heads 
to His will, for God is very strong. He 
breaketh in pieces the strong together 
with the weak, for He regardeth not 
any man. 

FIRST JEW 

Thou speakest truly. Verily, God 

is terrible. He breaketh in pieces the 

strong and the weak as men break corn 

in a mortar. But as for this man, he 

hath never seen God. No man hath 

seen God since the prophet Elias. 

59 ' 



•^ Salome 

HERODIAS 

Make them be silent. They weary 
me. 

HEROD 

But I have heard it said that lokanaan 
is in very truth your prophet Elias. 

THE JEW 

That cannot be. It is more than three 
hundred years since the days of the 
prophet EHas. 

HEROD 

There be some who say that this man 
is EHas the prophet. 

A NAZARENE 

I am sure that he is Elias the prophet. 

THE JEW 

Nay, but he is not Elias the prophet. 
60 



Salome 






THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Behold the day is at hand, the day of 
the Lord, and I hear upon the moun- 
tains the feet of Him who shall be the 
Saviour of the world. 

HEROD 

What does that mean ? The Saviour 
of the world ? 

TIGELLINUS 

It is a title that Caesar adopts. 

HEROD 

But Caesar is not coming into Judaea. 
Only yesterday I received letters from 
Rome. They contained nothing con- 
cerning this matter. And you, Tigelli- 

nus, who were at Rome during the v in- 
6i 



•^ Salome 

ter, you heard nothing concerning this 
matter, did you ? 

TIGELLINUS 

Sire, I heard nothing concerning the 
matter. I was but explaining the title. 
It is one of Caesar's titles. 

HEROD 

But Caesar cannot come. He is too 
gouty. They say that his feet are like 
the feet of an elephant. Also there are 
reasons of state. He who leaves Rome 
loses Rome. He will not come. How- 
beit, Caesar is lord, he will come if such 
be his pleasure. Nevertheless, I think 
he will not come. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

It was not concerning Caesar that the 

prophet spake these words, sire. 
62 



Salome ^ 

HEROD 

How ? — it was not concerning 
Caesar ? 

FIRST NAZARENE 

No, my lord. 

HEROD 

Concerning whom then did he speak ? 

FIRST NAZARENE 

Concerning Messias, who hath come. 

A JEW 

Messias hath not come. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

He hath come, and everywhere he 
worketh miracles! 

HERODIAS 

Ho ! ho ! miracles ! I do not believe 
in miracles. I have seen too many. 
[To the Page.] My fan. / 



^ Salome 

FIRST NAZARENE 

This Man worketh true miracles. 
Thus, at a marriage which took place 
in a little town of Galilee, a town of 
some importance. He changed water 
into wine. Certain persons who were 
present related it to me. Also He healed 
two lepers that were seated before the 
Gate of Capernaum simply by touching 
them. 

SECOND NAZARENE 

Nay; it was two blind men that He 
healed at Capernaum. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

Nay; they were lepers. But He 

hath healed blind people also, and He 

was seen on a mountain talking with 

angels. 

64 



Salome ^ 

A SADDUCEE 

Angels do not exist. 

A PHARISEE 

Angels exist, but I do not believe that 
this Man has talked with them. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

He was seen by a great multitude of 
people talking with angels. 

HERODIAS 

How these men weary me ! They are 
ridiculous ! They are altogether ridicu- 
lous 1 [To the Page.^ Well ! my fan ? 
\The Page gives her the fan.] You 
have a dreamer's look. You must not 
dream. It is only sick people who 
dream. [She strikes the Page with her 
fan.] / 

65 



•^ Salome 

SECOND NAZARENE 

There is also the miracle of the 
daughter of Jairus. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

Yea, that is sure. No man can gain- 
say it. 

HERODIAS 

Those men are mad. They have 
looked too long on the moon. Com- 
mand them to be silent. 

HEROD 

What is this miracle of the daughter 
of Jairus ? 

FIRST NAZARENE 

The daughter of Jairus was dead. 

This Man raised her from the dead. 
66 



Salome ^ 

HEROD 

How! He raises people from the 
dead ? 

FIRST NAZARENE 

Yea, sire; He raiseth the dead. 

HEROD 

I do not wish Him to do that. I for- 
bid Him to do that. I suffer no man to 
raise the dead. This Man must be 
found and told that I forbid Him to 
raise the dead. Where is this Man at 
present ? 

SECOND NAZARENE 

He is in every place, my lord, but it 
is hard to find Him. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

It is said that He is now in Samaria. 
67 



-^ Salome 

A JEW 

It is easy to see that this is not 
Messias, if He is in Samaria. It is not 
to the Samaritans that Messias shall 
come. The Samaritans are accursed. 
They bring no offerings to the Temple. 

SECOND NAZARENE 

He left Samaria a few days since. 
I think that at the present moment He 
is in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. 

FIRST NAZARENE 

No; He is not there. I have just 
come from Jerusalem. For two months 
they have had no tidings of Him. 

HEROD 

No matter ! But let them find Him, 

and tell Him, thus saith Herod the 

King, ' I will not suffer Thee to raise 
68 



Salome ^ 

the dead.' To change water into wine, 
to heal the lepers and blind . . . 
He may do these things if He will. I 
say nothing against these things. In 
truth, I hold it a kindly deed to heal a 
leper. But no man shall raise the dead. 
... It would be terrible if the dead 
came back. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Ah ! The wanton one ! The harlot ! 
Ah ! the daughter of Babylon with her 
golden eyes and her gilded eyelids ! 
Thus saith the Lord God, Let there 
come up against her a multitude of 
men. Let the people take stones and 
stone her. . . . 

HERODIAS 

Command him to be silent! 
69 



•^ Salome 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Let the captains of the hosts pierce 
her with their swords, let them crush 
her beneath their shields. 

HERODIAS 

Nay, but it is infamous. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

It is thus that I will wipe out all 
wickedness from the earth, and that all 
women shall learn not to imitate her 
abominations. 

HERODIAS 

You hear what he says against me ? 
You suffer him to revile her who is your 
wife! 

HEROD 

He did not speak your name. 
70 



Salome ^ 






HERODIAS 

What does that matter? You know 
well that it is I whom he seeks to revile. 
And I am your wife, am I not ? 

HEROD 

Of a truth, dear and noble Herodias, 
you are my wife, and before that you 
were the wife of my brother. 

HERODIAS 

It was thou didst snatch me from his 
arms. 

HEROD 

Of a truth I was stronger than he 

wa3. . . . But let us not talk of that 

matter. I do not desire to talk of it. 

It is the cause of the terrible words 

that the prophet has spoken. Perad- 

venture on account of it misfortune will 
71 



-^ Salome 

come. Let us not speak of this matter. 
Noble Herodias, we are not mindful 
of our guests. Fill thou my cup, my 
well-beloved. Ho! fill with wine the 
great goblets of silver, and the great 
goblets of glass. I will drink to Caesar. 
There are Romans here, we must drink 
to Caesan 

ALL 

Caesar ! Caesar ! 

HEROD 

Do you not see your daughter, how 
pale she is ? 

HERODIAS 

What is it to you if she be pale or 
not? 

HEROD 

Never have I seen her so pale. 
72 



Salome ^ 

HERODIAS 

You must not look at her. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

In that day the sun shall become 
black Hke sackcloth of hair, and the 
moon shall become like blood, and the 
stars of the heaven shall fall upon the 
earth like unripe figs that fall from the 
fig-tree, and the kings of the earth shall 
be afraid. 

HERODIAS 

Ah ! ah ! I should like to see that day 
of which he speaks, when the moon 
shall become like blood, and when the 
stars shall fall upon the earth like un- 
ripe figs. This prophet talks like a 
drunken man, . . . but I cannot suf- 
fer the sound of his voice. I hate 
73 



^ Salome 

his voice. Command him to be si- 
lent. 

HEROD 

I will not. I cannot understand what 
it is that he saith, but it may be an 
omen. 

HERODIAS 

I do not believe in omens. He speaks 
like a drunken man 

HEROD 

It may be he is drunk with the wine 
of God. 

HERODIAS 

What wine is that, the wine of 
God ? From what vineyards is it gath- 
ered ? In what wine-press may one find 

it? 

74 



Salome 



£?-«4L 



HEROD 

[From this point he looks all the while 
at Salome.^ Tigellinus, when you were 
at Rome of late, did the Emperor speak 
with you on the subject of . . . ? 

TIGELLINUS 

On what subject, my lord ? 

HEROD 

On what subject ? Ah ! I asked you 
a question, did I not ? I have forgotten 
what I would have asked you. 

HERODIAS 

You are looking again at my daugh- 
ter. You must not look at her. I have 
already said so. 

HEROD 

You say nothing else. 
75 



"^ Salome 

HERODIAS 

I say it again. 

HEROD 

And that restoration of the Temple 
about which they have talked so much, 
will anything be done ? They say that 
the veil of the Sanctuary has disap- 
peared, do they not ? 

HERODIAS 

It was thyself didst steal it. Thou 
speakest at random and without wit. 
I will not stay here. Let us go within. 

HEROD 

Dance for me, Salome. 

HERODIAS 

I will not have her dance. 

SALOME 

I have no desire to dance, Tetrarch. 
76 



Salome ^ 

HEROD 

Salome, daughter of Herodias, dance 
for me. 

HERODIAS 

Peace. Let her alone. 

HEROD 

I command thee to dance, Salome. 

SALOME 

I will not dance, Tetrarch. 

HERODIAS 

[Laughing.] You see how she obeys 
you. 

HEROD 

What is it to me whether she dance or 
not ? It is nought to me. To-night I 
am happy. I am exceeding happy. 
Never have I been so happy. 
77 



^ Salome 

FIRST SOLDIER 

The Tetrarch has a sombre look. 
Has he not a sombre look ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

Yes, he has a sombre look. 

HEROD 

Wherefore should I not be happy? 

Caesar, who is lord of the world, 

Caesar, who is lord of all things, loves 

me well. He has just sent me most 

precious gifts. Also he has promised 

me to summon to Rome the King of 

Cappadocia, who is mine enemy. It 

may be that at Rome he will crucify 

him, for he is able to do all things that 

he has a mind to do. Verily, Caesar is 

lord. Therefore I do well to be happy. 

I am very happy, never have I been so 
78 



Salome ^ 

happy. There is nothing in the world 
that can mar my happiness. 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

He shall be seated on his throne. He 
shall be clothed in scarlet and purple. 
In his hand he shall bear a golden cup 
full of his blasphemies. And the angel 
of the Lord shall smite him. He shall 
be eaten of worms. 

HERODIAS 

You hear what he says about you. 
He says that you shall be eaten of 
worms. 

HEROD 

It is not of me that he speaks. He 

speaks never against me. It is of the 

King of Cappadocia that he speaks; 

the King of Cappadocia who is mine 
79 



-^ Salome 

enemy. It is he who shall be eaten of 
worms. It is not I. Never has he 
spoken word against me, this prophet, 
save that I sinned in taking to wife 
the wife of my brother. It may be 
he is right. For, of a truth, you are 
sterile. 

HERODIAS 

I am sterile, I ? You say that, you 
that are ever looking at my daughter, 
you that would have her dance for your 
pleasure ? You speak as a fool. I 
have borne a child. You have gotten 
no child, no, not on one of your slaves. 
It is you who are sterile, not I. 

HEROD 

Peace, woman ! I say that you are 

sterile. You have borne me no child, 
80 



Salome ^ 

and the prophet says that our marriage 
is not a true marriage. He says that it 
is a marriage of incest, a marriage that 
will bring evils. ... I fear he is right ; 
I am sure that he is right. But it is not 
the hour to speak of these things. I 
would be happy at this moment. Of a 
truth, I am happy. There is nothing I 
lack. 

HERODIAS 

I am glad you are of so fair a humour 
to-night. It is not your custom. But 
it is late. Let us go within. Do not 
forget that we hunt at sunrise. All 
honours must be shown to Caesar's 
ambassadors, must they not ? 

SECOND SOLDIER 

The Tetrarch has a sombre look. 
8i 



•^ Salome 

FIRST SOLDIER 

Yes, he has a sombre look. 

HEROD 

Salome, Salome, dance for me. I 
pray thee dance for me. I am sad to- 
night. Yes, I am passing sad to-night. 
When I came hither I slipped in blood, 
which is an evil omen; also I heard in 
the air a beating of wings, a beating of 
giant wings. I cannot tell what that 
may mean. ... I am sad to-night. 
Therefore dance for me. Dance for 
me, Salome, I beseech thee. If thou 
dancest for me thou mayest ask of me 
what thou wilt, and I will give it 
thee. Yes, dance for me, Salome, 
and whatsoever thou shalt ask of me 
I will give it thee, even unto the half 
of my kingdom. 

82 



Salome ^ 



rfv 



SALOME 

[Rising.] Will you indeed give me 
whatsoever I shall ask of you, Te- 
trarch ? 

HERODIAS 

Do not dance, my daughter. 

HEROD 

Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, 
even unto the half of my kingdom. 

SALOME 

You swear it, Tetrarch ? 

HEROD 

I swear it, Salome. 

HERODIAS 

Do not dance, my daughter. 

SALOME 

By what will you swear this thing, 

Tetrarch ? 

83 



^ Salome 



HEROD 

By my life, by my crown, by my gods. 
Whatsoever thou shalt desire I will 
give it thee, even to the half of my 
kingdom, if thou wilt but dance for 
me. O Salome, Salome, dance for 
me! 

SALOME 

You have sworn an oath, Tetrarch. 

HEROD 

I have sworn an oath. 

HERODIAS 

My daughter, do not dance. 

HEROD 

Even to the half of my kingdom. 

Thou wilt be passing fair as a queen, 

Salome, if it please thee to ask for the 

half of my kingdom. Will she not be 
84 



Salome^ 

fair as a queen ? Ah ! it is cold here ! 
There is an icy wind, and I hear . . . 
wherefore do I hear in the air this beat- 
ing of wings ? Ah ! one might fancy a 
huge black bird that hovers over the 
terrace. Why can I not see it, this bird ? 
The beat of its wings is terrible. The 
breath of the wind of its wings is ter- 
rible. It is a chill wind. Nay, but it is 
not cold, it is hot. I am choking. 
Pour water on my hands. Give me 
snow to eat. Loosen my mantle. 
Quick! quick! loosen my mantle. 
Nay, but leave it. It is my garland 
that hurts me, my garland of roses. 
The flowers are like fire. They 
have burned my forehead. [He tears 
the wreath from his head, and throws 

it on the table.] Ah ! I can breathe now. 
85 






Salome 



How red those petals are ! They are 
like stains of blood on the cloth. That 
does not matter. It is not wise to find 
symbols in everything that one sees. 
It makes life too full of terrors. It were 
better to say that stains of blood are as 
lovely as rose-petals. It were better far 
to say that . . . But we will not speak 
of this. Now I am happy. I am pass- 
ing happy. Have I not the right to be 
happy ? Your daughter is going to 
dance for me. Wilt thou not dance for 
me, Salome ? Thou hast promised to 
dance for me. 

HERODIAS 

I will not have her dance. 

SALOME 

I will dance for you, Tetrarch. 
86 



Salome ^ 

HEROD 

You hear what your daughter says. 
She is going to dance for me. Thou 
dost well to dance for me, Salome. 
And when thou hast danced for me, 
forget not to ask of me whatsoever thou 
hast a mind to ask. Whatsoever thou 
shalt desire I will give it thee, even to 
the half of my kingdom. I have sworn 
it, have I not ? 

SALOME 

Thou hast sworn it, Tetrarch. 

HEROD 

And I have never failed of my word. 

I am not of those who break their oaths. 

I know not how to lie. I am the slave 

of my word, and my word is the word 

of a king. The King of Cappadocia 
87 



AAU> 



Salome 



had ever a lying tongue, but he is no 
true king. He is a coward. Also he 
owes me money that he will not repay. 
He has even insulted my ambassadors. 
He has spoken words that were wound- 
ing. But Caesar will crucify him when 
he comes to Rome. I know that Caesar 
will crucify him. And if he crucify 
him not, yet will he die, being eaten 
of worms. The prophet has prophesied 
it. Well! Wherefore dost thou tarry, 
Salome ? 

SALOME 

I am waiting until my slaves bring 
perfumes to me and the seven veils, 
and take from off my feet my sandals. 

[Slaves bring perfumes and the seven 

veils, and take off the sandals of 

Salome.] 

88 



Salome H^- 

HEROD 

Ah, thou art to dance with naked 
feet ! 'Tis well ! 'Tis well ! Thy little 
feet will be like white doves. They 
will be like little white flowers that 
dance upon the trees. . . . No, no, 
she is going to dance on blood ! There 
is blood spilt on the ground. She must 
not dance on blood. It were an evil 
omen. 

HERODIAS 

What is it to thee if she dance on 
blood ? Thou hast waded deep enough 
in it. . . . 

HEROD 

What is it to me ? Ah ! look at the 

moon! She has become red. She has 

become red as blood. Ah ! the prophet 
89 



^ Salome 

prophesied truly. He prophesied that 
the moon would become as blood. 
Did he not prophesy it ? All of ye heard 
him prophesying it. And now the 
moon has become as blood. Do ye 
not see it? 

HERODIAS 

Oh yes, I see it well, and the stars 

are falling like unripe figs, are they not ? 

and the sun is becoming black like 

sackcloth of hair, and the kings of the 

earth are afraid. That at least one can 

see. The prophet is justified of his 

words in that at least, for truly the kings 

of the earth are afraid. . . . Let us 

go within. You are sick. They will 

say at Rome that you are mad. Let 

us go within, I tell you. 
90 



Salome ^ 

THE VOICE OF lOKANAAN 

Who is this who cometh from Edom, 
who is this who cometh from Bozra, 
whose raiment is dyed with purple, 
who shineth in the beauty of his gar- 
ments, who walketh mighty in his great- 
ness ? Wherefore is thy raiment stained 
with scarlet ? 

HERODIAS 

Let us go within. The voice of that 
man maddens me. I will not have my 
daughter dance while he is continually 
crying out. I will not have her dance 
while you look at her in this fashion. 
In a word, I will not have her dance. 

HEROD 

Do not rise, my wife, my queen, it 
will avail thee nothing. I will not go 
91 



^ Salome 

within till she hath danced. Dance, 
Salome, dance for me. 

HERODIAS 

Do not dance, my daughter. 

SALOME 

I am ready, Tetrarch. 

[Salome dances the dance of the 
seven veils. ^ 

HEROD 

Ah ! wonderful ! wonderful ! You 
see that she has danced for me, your 
daughter. Come near, Salome, come 
near, that I may give thee thy fee. Ah ! 
I pay a royal price to those who dance 
for my pleasure. I will pay thee roy- 
ally. I will give thee whatsoever thy 
soul desireth. What wouldst thou 

have ? Speak. 

92 



Salome ^ 

SALOME 

[Kneeling.] I would that they pres- 
ently bring me in a silver charger . . , 

HEROD 

[Laughing.] In a silver charger ? 
Surely yes, in a silver charger. She is 
charming, is she not ? What is it thou 
wouldst have in a silver charger, O 
sweet and fair Salome, thou that art 
fairer than all the daughters of Judaea ? 
What wouldst thou have them bring 
thee in a silver charger? Tell me. 
Whatsoever it may be, thou shalt re- 
ceive it. My treasures belong to thee. 
What is it that thou wouldst have, 
Salome ? 

SALOME 

[Rising.] The head of lokanaan. 
93 



^ Salome 

HERODIAS 

Ah ! that is well said, my daughter. 

HEROD 

No, no! 

HERODIAS 

That is well said, my daughter. 

HEROD 

No, no, Salome. It is not that thou 
desirest. Do not listen to thy mother*s 
voice. She is ever giving thee evil 
counsel. Do not heed her. 

SALOME 

It is not my mother's voice that I 

heed. It is for my own pleasure that I 

ask the head of lokanaan in a silver 

charger. You have sworn an oath, 

Herod. Forget not that you have sworn 

an oath. 

94 



Salome ^ % 

HEROD 

I know it. I have sworn an oath by 
my gods. I know it well. But I pray 
thee, Salome, ask of me something else. 
Ask of me the half of my kingdom, and 
I will give it thee. But ask not of me 
what thy lips have asked. 

SALOME 

I ask of you the head of lokanaan. 

HEROD 

No, no, I will not give it thee. 

SALOME 

You have sworn an oath, Herod. 

HERODIAS 

Yes, you have sworn an oath. Every- 
body heard you. You swore it before 

everybody. 

95 



^ Salome 

HEROD 

Peace, woman! It is not to you I 
speak. 

HERODIAS 

My daughter has done well to ask the 
head of lokanaan. He has covered me 
with insults. He has said unspeakable 
things against me. One can see that 
she loves her mother well. Do not 
yield, my daughter. He has sworn an 
oath, he has sworn an oath. 

HEROD 

Peace! Speak not to me! . . . 
Salome, I pray thee be not stub- 
born. I have ever been kind to- 
ward thee. I have ever loved thee. 
... It may be that I have loved thee 

too much. Therefore ask not this thing 
96 



Salome ^ 

them not. Thou wouldst not that some 
evil should befall me, Salome ? Listen 
to me again. 

SALOME 

Give me the head of lokanaan. 

HEROD 

Ah! thou art not listening to me. 
Be calm. As for me, as for me, am I 
not calm ? I am altogether calm. Lis- 
ten. I have jewels hidden in this place 
— jewels that thy mother even has 
never seen; jewels that are marvellous 
to look at. I have a collar of pearls, 
set in four rows. They are like unto 
moons chained with rays of silver. 
They are even as half a hundred moons 
caught in a golden net. On the ivory 

breast of a queen they have rested. 
103 



•^ Salome 

Thou shalt be as fair as a queen when 

thou wearest them. I have amethysts 

of two kinds; one that is black like 

wine, and one that is red like wine 

that one has coloured with water. 

I have topazes yellow as are the eyes 

of tigers, and topazes that are pink 

as the eyes of a wood-pigeon, and green 

topazes that are as the eyes of cats. 

I have opals that burn always, with a 

flame that is cold as ice, opals that 

make sad men's minds, and are afraid 

of the shadows. I have onyxes like 

the eyeballs of a dead woman. I have 

moonstones that change when the moon 

changes, and are wan when they see 

the sun. I have sapphires big like 

eggs, and as blue as blue flowers. The 

sea wanders within them, and the moon 
104 



Salome ^ 

comes never to trouble the blue of 

their waves. I have chrysolites and 

beryls, and chrysoprases and rubies; 

I have sardonyx and hyacinth stones, 

and stones of chalcedony, and I will 

give them all unto thee, all, and other 

things will I add to them. The King 

of the Indies has but even now sent 

me four fans fashioned from the feathers 

of parrots, and the King of Numidia 

a garment of ostrich feathers. I have 

a crystal, into which it is not lawful 

for a woman to look, nor may young 

men behold it until they have been 

beaten with rods. In a coffer of nacre 

I have three wondrous turquoises. He 

who wears them on his forehead can 

imagine things which are not, and he 

who carries them in his hand can turn 
los 



^ Salome 

the fruitful woman into a woman that 
is barren. These are great treasures. 
They are treasures above all price. 
But this is not all. In an ebony 
coflFer I have two cups of amber that 
are like apples of pure gold. If an 
enemy pour poison into these cups they 
become like apples of silver. In a 
coffer incrusted with amber I have san- 
dals incrusted with glass. I have 
mantles that have been brought from 
the land of the Seres, and bracelets 
decked about with carbuncles and with 
jade that come from the city of Eu- 
phrates. . . . What desirest thou more 
than this, Salome ? Tell me the thing 
that thou desirest, and I will give it 
thee. All that thou askest I will give 

thee, save one thing only. I will give thee 
1 06 



Salome ^ 

all that is mine, save only the life of 
one man. I will give thee the mantle 
of the high priest. I will give thee the 
veil of the sanctuary. 

THE JEWS 

Oh! Oh! 

SALOME 

Give me the head of lokanaan ! 

HEROD 

[Sinking back in his seat.] Let her 

be given what she asks I Of a truth 

she is her mother's child! [The first 

Soldier approaches. Herodias draws 

from the hand of the Tetrarch the ring 

of death, and gives it to the Soldier, who 

straightway hears it to the Executioner. 

The Executioner looks scared."] Who 

has taken, my ring ? There was a ring 
107 



•^ Salome 

on my right hand. Who has drunk 
my wine ? There was wine in my cup. 
It was full of wine. Some one has 
drunk it ! Oh ! surely some evil will 
befall some one. [The Executioner 
goes down into the cistern.] Ah ! where- 
fore did I give my oath ? Hereafter let 
no king swear an oath. If he keep it 
not, it is terrible, and if he keep it, it 
is terrible also. 

HERODIAS 

My daughter has done well. 

HEROD 

I am sure that some misfortune will 
happen. 

SALOME 

[She leans over the cistern and listens.] 

There is no sound. I hear nothing. 

io8 



Salome ^ 

Why does he not cry out, this man ? 
Ah! if any man sought to kill me, I 
would cry out, I would struggle, I would 
not suffer. . . . Strike, strike, Naaman, 
strike, I tell you. . . . No, I hear 
nothing. There is a silence, a terrible 
silence. Ah ! something has fallen 
upon the ground. I heard something 
fall. It was the sword of the execu- 
tioner. He is afraid, this slave. He 
has dropped his sword. He dares not 
kill him. He is a coward, this slave! 
Let soldiers be sent. [She sees the Page 
of Herodias and addresses him.] Come 
hither. Thou wert the friend of him 
who is dead, wert thou not ? Well, I 
tell thee, there are not dead men enough. 
Go to the soldiers and bid them go 

down and bring me the thing I ask, the 
109 



■^ Salome 

thing the Tetrarch has promised me, the 
thing that is mine. [The Page recoils. 
She turns to the soldiers.] Hither, ye 
soldierso Get ye down into this cistern 
and bring me the head of this man. 
Tetrarch, Tetrarch, command your 
soldiers that they bring me the head of 
lokanaan. 

[A huge black arm, the arm of the 
Executionery comes forth from the cts- 
terriy hearing on a silver shield the head 
of lokanaan. Salome seizes it. Herod 
hides his face with his cloak. He- 
rodias smiles and fans herself. The 
Nazarenes fall on their knees and begin 
to pray.] 

Ah ! thou wouldst not suffer me to kiss 
thy mouth, lokanaan. Well! I will 

kiss it now. I will bite it with my teeth 

no 



Salome ^ 

as one bites a ripe fruit. Yes, I will 

kiss thy mouth, lokanaan. I said it, did 

I not say it ? I said it. Ah ! I will kiss 

it now. . . . But wherefore dost thou 

not look at me, lokanaan ? Thine eyes 

that were so terrible, so full of rage and 

scorn, are shut now. Wherefore are 

they shut ? Open thine eyes ! Lift up 

thine eyelids, lokanaan! Wherefore 

dost thou not look at me ? Art thou 

afraid of me, lokanaan, that thou wilt 

not look at me ? . . . And thy tongue, 

that was like a red snake darting poison, 

it moves no more, it speaks no words, 

lokanaan, that scarlet viper that spat 

its venom upon me. It is strange, is it 

not ? How is it that the red viper stirs 

no longer? . . . Thou wouldst have 

none of me, lokanaan. Thou rejectedst 
III 



jA-> 



Salome 



me. Thou didst speak evil words 
against me. Thou didst bear thyself 
toward me as to a harlot, as to a woman 
that is a wanton, to me, Salome, daugh- 
ter of Herodias, Princess of Judaea ! 
Well, I still live, but thou art dead, and 
thy head belongs to me. I can do with 
it what I will. I can throw it to the dogs 
and to the birds of the air. That which 
the dogs leave, the birds of the air shall 
devour. . . . Ah, lokanaan, lokanaan, 
thou wert the man that I loved alone 
among men! All other men were 
hateful to me. But thou wert beauti- 
ful ! Thy body was a column of ivory 
set upon feet of silver. It was a garden 
full of doves and lilies of silver. It was 
a tower of silver decked with shields of 
ivory. There was nothing in the world 



112 



Salome ^ 

so white as thy body. There was noth- 
ing in the world so black as thy hair. 
In the whole world there was nothing 
so red as thy mouth. Thy voice was a 
censer that scattered strange perfumes, 
and when I looked on thee I heard a 
strange music. Ah ! wherefore didst 
thou not look at me, lokanaan ? With 
the cloak of thine hands and with the 
cloak of thy blasphemies thou didst hide 
thy face. Thou didst put upon thine 
eyes the covering of him who would see 
his God. Well, thou hast seen thy God, 
lokanaan, but me, me, thou didst never 
see. If thou hadst seen me thou hadst 
loved me. I saw thee, and I loved thee. 
Oh, how I loved thee ! I love thee yet, 
lokanaan. I love only thee. ... I 
am athirst for thy beauty; I am hungry 

IT3 



■^ Salome 

for thy body; and neither wine nor 
apples can appease my desire. What 
shall I do now, lokanaan ? Neither 
the floods nor the great waters can 
quench my passion. I was a princess, 
and thou didst scorn me. I was a virgin, 
and thou didst take my virginity from 
me. I was chaste, and thou didst fill 
my veins with fireo Ah! ah! where- 
fore didst thou not look at me ? If 
thou hadst looked at me thou hadst 
loved me. Well I know that thou 
wouldst have loved me, and the mystery 
of Love is greater than the mystery of 
Death. 

HEROD 

She is monstrous, thy daughter; I 

tell thee she is monstrous. In truth, 

what she has done is a great crime. 
114 



Salome ^ 

I am sure that it is a crime against some 
unknown God. 

HERODIAS 

I am well pleased with my daughter. 
She has done well. And I would stay 
here now. 

HEROD 

[Rising.] Ah! There speaks my 
brother's wife ! Come ! I will not stay 
in this place. Come, I tell thee. Surely 
some terrible thing will befall. Manas- 
seh, Issachar, Ozias, put out the 
torches. I will not look at things, I will 
not suffer things to look at me. Put 
out the torches ! Hide the moon ! Hide 
the stars ! Let us hide ourselves in our 
palace, Herodias. I begin to be afraid. 

[The slaves put out the torches. The 
"5 



^ Salome 

stars disappear. A great cloud crosses 
the moon and conceals it completely. 
The stage becomes quite dark. The 
Tetrarch begins to climb the staircase.]^ 
THE VOICE OF SALOME 

Ah! I have kissed thy mouth, loka- 
naan, I have kissed thy mouth. There 
was a bitter taste on thy lips. Was it the 
taste of blood ? . . . Nay ; but per- 
chance it was the taste of love. . . . 
They say that love hath a bitter taste. 
. . . But what matter ? what matter ? 
I have kissed thy mouth, lokanaan, I 
have kissed thy mouth. 

\A ray of moonlight falls on Salome 
and illumines her.} 
HEROD 

[Turning round and seeing Salome.] 

Kill that woman ! 

ii6 



Salome ^ 

[The soldiers rush forward and crush 
beneath their shields Salome, daughter of 
Herodias, Princess of Judcea.] 

Curtain 



"7 



R^emarctue E^dition of 
Literary Masterpieces 
tiniform witH this 
voltime v^ >< v< N< 



1 Sonnets from the Portuguese 

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

2 Virginibus Puerisque 

By Robert Louis Stevenson. 

3 Friendship and Love 

By Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

4 Heroism and Character 

By Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

5 Poor Richard's Almanac 

By Benjamin Franklin. 

6 The School for Scandal 

By Sheridan. 

7 Destruction of Pompeii 

By Pliny and Bulwer. 

8 Sir Roger de Coverley Papers 

By Addison. 

9 Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius 

Selections. 
10 Lord Chesterfield's Letters 
Selections. 



^ Remarque Series 



11 Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 

1 2 Milton 

By Lord Macaulay. 

13 Enoch Arden 

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 

14 Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of 

Sleepy Hollow 
By Washington Irving. 

15 Rochefoucauld's Maxims 

16 Rab and His Friends 

By Dr. John Brown. 

17 She Stoops to Conquer 
• By Oliver Goldsmith. 

18 Old Christmas 

By Washington Irving. 

19 Vision of Sir Launfal 

By James Russell Lowell. 

20 Leaves of Grass 

Selections. By Walt Whitman. 

21 Elegy and Other Poems 

By Thomas Gray. 

22 Sweetness and Light 

By Matthew Arnold. 

23 Golden Thoughts 

By Archbishop Fenelon. 

24 Wit and Wisdom 

By Sidney Smith. 

25 A Christmas Carol 

By Charles Dickens, 

26 Will 0' the Mill and Biographical Sketch 

By R. L. Stevenson. 



XI 07 "* 



Remarque Series ^ 



27 Men and Women 

By Robert Browning. 

28 Napoleon Addresses and Anecdotes 

29 Passion in the Desert, and an Episode 

in the Reign of Terror. Selected 
Prose Works of Honore de Balzac 

30 Poems of Sentiment 

By Byron. 

31 Some Fruits of Solitude. Reflections 

and Maxims 
By William Penn. 

32 Letters to a Young Man about Town 

By William Makepeace Thackeray. 
23 Golden Wings. A Prose Romance and 
a Poem 
By William Morris. 

34 Selected Poems 

By John Boyle O'Reilly. 

35 The Discourses of Epictetus 

Selections. 

36 Evangeline 

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

37 The Holy Grail 

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 

38 Atala 

By Fran9ois Rene Auguste Chateaubri- 
and. 

39 Armande 

By Edmond and Jules de Goncourt. 

40 Corsair and Lara 

By Lord Byion. 



-^ Remarque Serif 

41 The Gold Bug 

By Edgar Allan Poe. 

42 Juliet and Romeo 

From the Italian of Luigi da Porto. 

43 L'Arlesienne 

By Alphonse Daudet. 

44 Manon Lescaut. Vol. i. 

By Abbe Prevost. 

45 Manon Lescaut. Vol. 11. 

46 Paul and Virginia 

By Bernardin de St. Pierre. 

47 Peter Schlemihl 

By Adelbert von Chamisso. 

48 Werther 

By J. W. von Goethe. 

49 Undine ^, _ 

By Friedrich, Baron de La Motte-1' 

que. 
CO Tales of a Wayside Inn 

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellosv. 

51 King of the Golden River, The 

By John Ruskin. 

52 Love Letters of a Violinist 

By Eric Mackay. 

53 Sketches of Young Couples 

By Charles Dickens. 



^ 





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Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
vj» * ^ip v^ Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 

4 -ay *^ Treatment Date: May 2009 

PreservationTechnologies 

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